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Retail Confessions #2

I hope you are having a great weekend :) It's been a mix of the usual for me - Roger/Pizza Express/IKEA/Sleeping/Cleaning/Working. I can't complain though as I am off on holiday to Singapore on Thursday and so excited. I am even being organised with my packing and setting things aside now - rather than the last minute stuff-and-go that I seem to perform hours before a flight.

Before you see lots of sweaty-humid-hair-outfit-of-the-days from my holiday I thought it was about time that I did a Retail Confessions post - this acts as a round up of some my latest purchases. As always there is a story behind each purchase so brace yourself for some rambles :)

The Sunglasses

I do have a sunglasses problem. This is true. The picture below is not even the whole story - I have a few pairs waiting for me in the UK - but I feel justified buying them here as they really are something you wear every single day.

Yeah, yeah.

So the latest pair was inspired by Lisa from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. No lie - it really was. I saw her wearing a pair of brightly tinted aviators in a recent episode and loved the impact that they made. Ray-Ban came out with the pair below as well as a pretty warm/golden shade. Both are amazing but I plumped for the blue/green as I thought it was more unusual.

I wear a lot of neutral clothes so thought that this was one way to add much needed interest.

I saw the first one on Topshop's Instagram and became officially obsessed. I got it in the sale and have looked at it every day since. Somehow though I don't seem to have the balls to wear it outside. I am mesmerised by it but at the same time scared of it's impact. I sort of value it as a bit of a work of art...

The next one is a bit more conventional and from Primark. It's a white tweet laced with silver thread - and I wore it today.

I think Primark did well with this one. Other than a slightly scratchiness at the neck if feels like a high quality jacket - Zara-esque - and I think it cost about £16. It's so easy to wear and brings even the slobbiest of outfits together. Hurrah!

The Bracelet

This is a bit of a cheat as I don't actually have my hands on this bracelet yet - but I got the shipping notification and it's only days away from being on my wrist.

I saw this on my friend, Teresa, and loved the stone/rose gold chain hardware combination. It's chunky and firmly on the statement side of things but yet still unbelievably pretty. I cannot wait to wear it. I also managed to pick up something else from the etsy store...the seller has some fantastic pieces.

I am from Singapore! You will love it here!!! I hope you are staying at the Marina Bay Sands or the Fullerton!~ If you like Asian makeup, go to Sasa, Chinatown, there's Etude House everywhere, The Face Shop etcAnd if you like all the high end stuff, go check out Tangs Orchard beauty hallAnd all the little quirky places!

I would say pack some rainy weather clothes with you because the weather has been very unpredictable the past few days. Like crazy sunny and then thunderstorms.

Regarding shopping, well, that would definitely be along Orchard Road. Most of the shopping malls have pretty much the same stores, but one that has everything would be ION Orchard. :) And visit Watsons or Sasa for the Asian beauty products! There are also standalone stalls that sell Asian beauty items.

I hope you have an amazing time! Can't wait to see how you feel about this little red dot!

The bracelet looks gorgeous! I'm so excited for you! I live in SIngapore and i think it would be the best thing ever if i bumped into you..here's hoping! :) Haha hope that doesn't sound too weird but i'm a huge fan! Makeup in Singapore is terribly expensive but check out the Zara in Ion Orchard or Ngee Ann City..there's some great sales at the moment, and not too chaotic! Oh and the Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City, one of my favourite places in the world :)

OH MY GOD THAT TOPSHOP BLAZER. I NEED it. Loving the Primark jacket too! I have a similar one from Zara, but you can't go wrong with another one at £16.

I'm seconding all the recommendations for skincare and make-up in Singapore, shopping out there is always a great experience, as I'm sure you know :) one thing I don't envy - the Monica-From-Friends humidity hair haha. Hope you have a lovely holiday! xx

That Topshop blazer looks amazing on you! I think you should definitely grow some balls and wear it out! :) I saw that bracelet on Etsy and I want it soooo bad, but I'm worried it would just slide right off my creepy, tiny baby wrists :(

As regards clothes, I recommend layering because the weather here is very hot and humid, though once you get indoors the air-conditioning sometimes overcompensates - though I'm sure that's something you're well accustomed to in Dubai. Also, it's been raining on and off recently - and by this I mean heavy rain, none of that drizzly London stuff.

For shopping I'd recommend ION Orchard and Takashimaya, although you'll find that a lot of the brands which are available in the US and UK mark up their prices quite a bit here. If you want no-brand clothes/shoes/accessories which is relatively cheap, try Far East Plaza or Bugis Street. You can get Asian skincare/makeup here at Sasa and Watsons - I'd recommend the humongous Watsons at Takashimaya.

Good food is everywhere, but check out www.hungrygowhere.com for recommendations/reviews. Do try some local food.

Hope you enjoy your stay here, and if you have any questions feel free to reply to this comment and I'll try to assist :)

love the rose gold of the bracelet but AB is definitely not my thing. That Primarni jacket however...that is coming home with me tomorrow. I say go for it with the Topshop blazer cos it is stunning - think of it as an accessory if that helps face the outside world. It totally deserves an outing

I can't believe you're coming to Singapore! I'm a Canadian but living in Singapore and would probably die if I saw my favourite blogger/ex-YTer!

Orchard, Orchard, Orchard. I go there almost every weekend. I know you love shopping and so you probably won't be disappointed by Singapore, which I consider to be a shopping maven's paradise in addition to being one of the coolest cities in the world.

Hi laura, You have to pick up some "my beauty diary" face sheet masks, they are a Taiwanese skin care brand and do the best sheet masks! I like the black pearl ones! They are pretty cheap and cheery, you can find them at watson's, or other pharmacies:)Also, if you are in the market to try a cult Asian skincare item, I suggest trying the facial essence? From SK-II - they are suitable for all skin types, and have been known to work wonders:)

Laura some lovely buys....not sure about the galaxy blazer, I would not be so brave, but the blue aviator are super and the rose gold braclet fab, I am considering it myself!!love it Jhttp://lifelovesand.blogspot.ie/

Watched that same episode and was transfixed on Lisa's sunglasses the ENTIRE time. Been on a hunt for a similar pair, awesome to know RayBan's got them. Think ill go for the warm-toned versions! Thanks for the link. Hope you enjoy your holiday xx

Celine: Official shop at Ngee Ann City. Unaffiliated franchise at DFS Galleria holds different stock and more likely you'll be able to get a Luggage/Trapeze/Phantom off the shelf here and duty-free.

Zara & Topshop is everywhere in Orchard but Zara flagship is at Wheelock Place and Topshop's at Knightsbridge.

H&M is at Ion basement and flagship beside Mandarin Gallery.

Side-note for Ion basements. There are 4 levels of underground at Ion and B2 is where the train station is and where all the tunnels connecting other malls in the area converge. If you're lost in our sprawling underground, please do ask someone because it gets really crowded on weekends and you'll be utterly lost. I've once brought a hysterical British couple to ground level and outside the building because they've been searching for a way out for an hour and got claustrophobic!

Side note also for Ion. You should start shopping here and then Ngee Ann City next. Between these 2 malls, you'll have covered most of the luxury and high street brands available in SG. Something special at Ion are the shopfronts for beauty brands like Chanel, YSL, Shu Uemura etc. that only sell beauty stuff.

Side note for Ngee Ann City: now being the Chinese New Year Period, there's a massive food fair at the basement where you can sample all the new year goodies like pineapple tarts and peanut cookies etc. Don't miss it!

Chanel's only boutique in the Orchard area is at Ngee Ann City. Flagship however is at Marina Bay Sands.

LV is at Ion and Ngee Ann City but flagship is also at Marina Bay Sands where they have a beautiful water pavilion to themselves on the bay.

Gucci is at Paragon in the Orchard area together with Miu Miu flagship, Marni, Givenchy, Banana Republic and Jimmy Choo.

Club 21 brands (Balenciaga, 3.1 Philip Lim, Alexander Wang) are a little out of the way at the Hilton Hotel Arcade.

Christian Louboutin has the only store at Ngee Ann City.

On Pedder, a store carrying brands like Reed Krakoff, Charlotte Olympia, Proenza Schouler and more, also carries Louboutin at Ngee Ann City and Scotts.

Hermes can be found at Wheelock Place and the outlet at Scotts is also very well stocked.

So, everything above is for the Orchard area. Close by is the Somerset area which caters to a younger crowd and feature brands like Forever21, Cotton On, HMV etc. Other shopping destinations further out include Marina Bay Sands for more luxury, the Bugis area and Haji Lane for unique, quirky, vintage shops and teenager hangouts.

*These shops can be found in the Ion basement and perhaps Wisma Atria. Also, all Korean makeup brands pride themselves on the well-known BB Cream and there's just so many to choose from from so many brands!

Our pharmacies as well stock as much makeup as they do actual pharmacy stuff, so it's well worth having a look. There's often an entire section devoted to Japanese imported makeup bits like eyeliners, double-eyelid tape, falsies, mascara..

SaSa is not as much a pharmacy as makeup heaven. Wisma Atria.

Watson's at Ngee Ann City is huge and stocks brands like Embroylisse and La Roche Posay amongst other European pharmacy beauty brands.

The last stop for beauty shopping is the airport. Do check-in early for departure if it's a godly hour (shops are closed in the wee hours). DFS beauty halls in our terminals are just amazing these days! You get brands like Bath & Bodyworks, Philosophy, Victoria's Secret etc.

To take a break from shopping, I would definitely recommend the walk through the Singapore Botanical Gardens to see the Orchid Garden, and don't miss out on the "VIP" orchid greenhouse. It is so beautiful! From there you can walk down Orchard Blvd.

ooh I love that Topshop blazer...I have been looking at brightly coloured and printed blazers myself recently and have yet to muster up the guts to buy one (shame), but I have seen a few styled really nicely in blog, so I think I am going to crack the seal and just do it!

Sunglasses or sun glasses are a visual aid, variously termed spectacles or glasses, which feature lenses that are colored or darkened to prevent strong light from reaching the eyes. Many people find direct sunlight too bright to be comfortable, especially when reading from paper in direct sunlight.

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